Shoe stiffener



Sept 2,1930. FAUSSE 7 1,774,746

SHOE STIFFENER Filed Dec. 6, 1928 Patented Sept. 2, 1930 PATENT FFIOE UNITED STATES JOSEPH FAUSSE, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOE TO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SHOE STIFFENER Application filed December 6, 1928. Serial No. 324,253.

This invention relates to stiifcners for parts of boots and shoes and is herein illustrated as embodied in a stiffener for the toe portion of a boot or shoe upper.

In the manufacture of shoes, it is customary to employ a toe stiffener to aid in imparting the desired shape to the toe portion of the upper of the shoe and in maintaining this desired shape. In the case of plain-teed shoes, which have no toe cap or tip, it is custornary to use a so-called soft box toe stiffener, that is, one without much stiffness or resilience. It is difficult to obtain a satisfactory effect with a stiffener of this type, since if the stiffener is sufficiently soft to produce the desired effect, it is liable not to support the toe portion of the upper satis. torily during the wear of the shoe. On the other hand, if the stiffener is sufficiently hard and resilient to hold up the toe portion of the upper of the shoe, it is liable to be so stiff that, after a short period of wear of the shoe, ridge or break will appear across the toe portion of the upper in register with the rear edge of the stiffener.

It is desirable that the stiffener in the finished shoe should have comparatively stiff front and side portions and a much softer upper portion, since a box toe with such a construction will retain its shape and at the same time Will not tend to facilitate the formation of ridges or creases across the toe portion of the upper during the wear of the shoe.

According to the present invention there is provided a stiffener comprising a flexible base, the margin along a selected portion of which carries a stiffening substance. The illustrated stiffener blank comprises a base of sheet material, which has the degree of resilience desired for the upper portion of a soft box toe, the margin along the front and side edges of said blank being treated with a stiffening substance capable of being softened. In the manufacture of a shoe, the stiffening substance is rendered temporarily soft; and, While the substance is in that condition, the blank is incorporated in the upper of the shoe and is conformed to the toe portion of the last. As soon as the stiffening substance has hardened there results a box toe stiffener having stiff front and side walls and a comparatively soft upper portion. The particular stifiener, which is illustrated, comprises a base of suitable fabric having band of thermoplastic substance, such as a mixture of colophony and asphalt, along its front and side margins.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a stiffener in which the present invention is embodied; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the stiffener upon the line 22 of Fig. l.

The illustrated stiffener is of the type which is normally flat and consists of base 3 of flexible sheet material, such as a suitable fabric, which has been skived in the usual manner and carries along its forward margin a stiffening substance. Any suitable stiffening substance may be used which is normally hard and resilient but may be rendered torn porarily soft, for example by heat or by a solvent, so that the stiffener may be conformed with the upper to the toe portion of the last. In the illustrated stiffener, the stiff ening substance 5 is a thermoplastic one such, for example, as a mixture of 75 per cent colo phony and 25 per cent asphalt, said mixture being capable of being softened by a degree of heat which is not injurious to leather; and both sides of the selected margin of the base are coated with this mixture so to anchor the stiffener firmly both to the lining (including the doubler) and to the upper. Preferably the stiffening substance so applied, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, that the bands of the stiffening substance are of a given width along the front of the stiffener, and decrease in width as they extend toward the rear of the stiffener. These bands are thus substantially crescent-shaped with the tips of the crescents pointing toward the rear of the stiffener.

The flexible base 3 may be of any material which has the resilience desired for the upper portion of a soft box toe or will have such resilience when incorporated in the finished shoe. For example, it may contain a small amount of stiffening substance like the substance which is carried by the margin or it may contain none at all. In any event, the

body portion of the sti llener will contain very much l stiffening sul nice per unit volume than does th; mar in along the front and sides. In the illustrated stiffener, the

base 3 H)1lf-'l li$ of a ibei Zed fabric containing no thermopi: a-inening substance, the fabric being so chosen and the amount of rubl er so proportioned that the base ha. the degree of resilience sin 1' for the upper portion of a soft box iiishid shoe.

In the manufacture of a shoe, the stiffeni soft upper when and comparatively stiff front. and side portions. The upper portion of the stiliener, owing to the faru that is conrexl c curved and is supo he coinparatively stiff front a iirin and at the same time flexible support for the upper part if the toe portion of the upper. Such a stiffener will support he toe portion of the upper of a shoe in a fa 'tory manner without either breaking d wn or causing a ridge to appear across the toe portion.

The stir. ner of the present invention has been described above as being adapted for use in the nethod of manufacture of boots and shoes in which th toe portion of the u per is conformed t c hrt during the pi l [O s i lug-over and la g tions. I be pointed out, lniwerer, tl at the bro well adapted for use in tn nmuhwturing boots and shoes n'ein the roe portion of the upper is molded to shiuue iel'ore the upper placed upon the last. In he manufacture of boots and shoes by this method, impossible or i r? t cable to use a soft toe still'encr of iii pc hitherto known, since, when the toe portion of an upper containing such a stih'ener is molded, the toe portion wi l not retain its molded shape. With the stiffener herein described. however, there sufficient stillening substance present in the proper locality so that, after the too portion of the upper has been subjected to the artion of heated ilds and then removed nu from the ll'lOitlr, the stilfening substance hardmis and causes the toe portion of the upper to retain the shape which has been imparted to it.

Although, for the purpmes of explanation, a. toe stiffener has been illustrated and describel, it sin old he understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to this particular kind of a stiffener. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to s eure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A stiffener blank for boots and shoes 1 still'enin ubstance which may be rendered fQlllPOl'fll'll} soft by suitable treatment to pernut tne blank after it has been assembled with the upper of a shoe to be lasted therewith, but will become hard and resilient in the finished shoe, the remaining portion of the blank being of a. flexible material which is substzur ti ally unaffected by said treatment.

A substantially flat box toe blank having its margin along the front and sides thereof treated with a stiffening substance which is normally hard and resilient but may be ren eri-d temporarily softand plastic by a degree o heat which is not injurious to Lather, the remaining portion of the blank i'a'iing snhstantially free from stiffening sub stance.

l. A box toe blank comprising a. base of rubberized material having a thern'loplastic bst: nee along the margin at the front and sides thereof, the remaining portion of the blank being substantially free from said substance.

o. box toe blank the middle and rear portions of the margin of which are composed entirely of flexible sheet material, the nargin along the front and sides thereof *ar ying a crescent-shaped load of stiffening substance adapted to be rendered pliable by treatment with a suitable softening agent.

(3. A box toe blank comprising a base of [lbSOl'bQllt material having along the margin at the front and sides a load of stiffening substance adapted to be softened by treatment with a n softening agent, the remainder of the blank being flexible and unresponsive to the action of said agent.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH FAUSSJ 

